Projects for Green

During our Green Unit in our GT Seminar II class we came upon an interesting lifestyle called, "The 100 Thing Challenge".  This lifestyle is where you are only allowed to have a 100 things.  When I first heard this, I thought, "Psh! I probably already have that much!"  We were then asked to make a list of the things we needed for our life, I came up with 52.  Ms. Mystrena, our teacher, then asked us to make a list.    After learning this our homework was to go home and count everything we had (clothes, toys, games, books, sports equipment, etc.)  That night I was suprised at the amount.  When sharing in class our results, I was embarassed... 400 things!  That is such a large number compared to my list.

Shortly after we finished with that subject we went onto a "Mapping the Impact" project.  With this project, Ronak and I chose an I-Phone 3GS to traced all the resources and process it took to make that product.  It took so many resources from so many places in the world to make the I-Phone.  They must be depleting the environment they extracted it from.  Also the transportation and production also pollute the world.  It is amazing how it came to be made, but sad to see all the damage done.  And to think Apple keeps making new ones and people throw out their old devices.  What a shame!

Another interesting thing we did was take an online ecological footprint test.   If everyone lived my lifestyle we would need about 8 Earths.  It felt like a scumbag comparing them to everyone else's test.  However I have a farm so hopefully I am still not as bad as a person, I still am bad though.  I liked this test a lot, it left an impact on me.  I am going to alter my lifestyle to be more green, then retake it in the future and see if I have gotten better or worse.

GT GREEN TEAM

Throughout the unit I have joined the GT Green Team, and wrote a letter to Mr. Czehut, head of janitorial staff of our school.  We included and asked if we were apart of the Burlington County Recycling Program and if not if we could join it.  Also the Green Team just suggested improving the recycling program and other specifics.  For example, we were wondering if the janitors actually recycled the paper and aluminum cans in the recycling bins and asked Mr. Czehut if not lets try to change that.  This was a fun part of our unit and I hope we are successful in our efforts.

Another aspect that changed me was the Untapped left a great impact on me.  It was about how the water bottle companies are basically unhealthy and steal water.  Also it liters the world and is a waste a natural resources and money.  Now during lunch other GT students and I yell at kids to recycle their cans.  It was funny to do, but it was a serious effort to be more green.  Also, I try to pick up trash on the ground whenever I see it.  In the future I know this Green ideology will stick with me and I will be as green as possible.

Crash Padder

Crash Padder is an interesting name for a great company made by Stephen Rapoport.  It is a profit organization with 18,000 members plus. If you have extra free space you could rent it out or if you are looking for a place to stay you can find it here and rent it.  On average the rooms on this site are 83% cheaper than the equivalent hotel.  Along with being convenient and cheap, it is environmentally friendly.  On their web page it says that the carbon footprint of the average stay is 80% smaller than a hotel stay.  Also if you want to rent out a room you would gain income along with meeting new people.  You are probably saying it is too good to be true and might question the security. However it is very secure.  For instance, Crash Padder keeps official records of your date stays and the payment to make sure there is no scamming.  Also payment is done in person for the customer so they don't get scammed and everyone has a feedback file you could look at.  Obviously, you don't have to be worried about internet hoodlums.  This also relates to the collabrotive consumption theory.  It helps save space and resources and helps you make friends and money.

Zilok: Consumption Innovation

Recently my class watch a TED talk about new innovations on consumption.  This idea of sharing with one another through technology.  I think her idea could reduce waste, save money, or even make you money!  One of the ideas she spoke about in her talk was Zilok.  It is free to join and has some small transaction fees. It is ebay but is actually "the #1 online rental marketplace site."   Basically you can post stuff you want to let people rent and make money.  There are 3 ways to pay on Zilok, credit card, paypal, and
ClickandBuy.  There are so many things on this website too.  From wedding dresses to car rentals to even log cabins in Lake Tahoe, there is such a wide variety.  You could save a lot of money from this instead of buying the actual things.  You really only need the uses not the space associated with it.  Furthermore, you could put stuff you don't use on this website and make money off other people renting your unused stuff.  It is a win win situation.  Plus we as a human race will stop cluttering the Earth.  It didn't seem their was a lot of people on it and one major thing is needed, TRUST.  I think if this site becomes bigger and trust stronger, it will benefit more and more people.  It is a neat idea that has to ignite.

Today, Zilok brings together:

• More than 200,000 monthly visitors looking for something to rent
• 400 rental businesses listing their inventory
• 40,000 rental items available for rent

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Field Trip

Today my Gifted and Talented Class went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.  I was expecting a lot from what I heard.  When we got there the sights were amazing and the museum was so amazing!  One of the best parts I loved about was when the voices told you the story, the video interviews, and just how the museum gave all the raw facts.  It made me think that the Holocaust was even worse than I had already thought.  I had no idea that the nazis did all those experiments.  For example, freezing people and cutting their bodies into pieces shocked me even more than I had already thought.  It made me angry and sad.  It was amazing to see so much and I think everyone was very respectful while we were there.  My favorite part was when watching a video about a Holocuast Survivor.  He survived but apparently while he was there he picked up a phone and conned a general into not killing 70,000 people in the camp.  It is a miracle that he pulled it off and saved his peers.  What a relief he must have felt.  The last and final part I found hit the image home was when there were all those candles, like in the picture below, and everyone was their paying their respects.  Just something about all those candles and the big fire in the center made it feel holy.

The End of the Subject

At the end of our Humanity, Hope, and the Human Spirit subject I have realized many things.  On our final group project we researched if their was hope for humanity.  We found many different perspectives and opinions of this debatable question.  One person we found had an interesting point was Brian Holtz.  This timeline had a lot of predictions that gave my group hope for the human race.  For example, in 9000 90% of humans will speak the human race and in 2020 almost all tyranny has been eliminated.  This means we will be a global community and we will be an empathetic civilization like Jeremy Rifkin was talking about.  “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I truly believe we will survive.

UBUNTU!

When you read this word your first thoughts were probably like ,"Is that even a word?" or "Ah they must be talking about the netbook!"  However I am talking about the African Philosophy.  Ubuntu is a Bantu word and basically it means that every human in the world is connected in one way or another, a unity of a human race.  It is an amzing idea and a good belief for the general human race to use.

While I was researching this I found a quote in a website from the South African Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  He describes Ubuntu as: "It is the essence of being human. It speaks of the fact that my humanity is caught up and is inextricably bound up in yours. I am human because I belong. It speaks about wholeness, it speaks about compassion. A person with Ubuntu is welcoming, hospitable, warm and generous, willing to share. Such people are open and available to others, willing to be vulnerable, affirming of others, do not feel threatened that others are able and good, for they have a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that they belong in a greater whole. They know that they are diminished when others are humiliated, diminished when others are oppressed, diminished when others are treated as if they were less than who they are. The quality of Ubuntu gives people resilience, enabling them to survive and emerge still human despite all efforts to dehumanize them." 

After seeing Ubuntu it reminded me of a video called, RSA Animate-The Empathetic Civilisation.  It was amazing with all the scientific and historical facts that back up their ideas of a whole human race like Ubuntu.  The video made me worry about our biosphere and how we should band together.  This video supports Ubuntu completely and makes me think of what I can do.  I will try to bring humans together and make more positive actions so that humanity will be better.